Together We Stand, Together We Fall
by xxPeppermintxx109
Summary: All she wanted was to become someone who mattered. But no matter who she has become, she's still that little speck of dust under someone's shoe. Well, until now. Now, she has the ability to prove she's worth more than anyone can even imagine. But will she accomplish her task, or will Saren and the Reapers be her doom? Spanning from ME 1 and beyond. T for now.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Eliana Marie Sanders. The name still didn't fit the woman, or that's how she felt at least. To herself and her parents (most likely), she was still "Little Lena". She was never supposed to be this big girl, all grown up in the Alliance Navy. It was never the role she had intended on filling. It was a lot to consider and think about. The logical part of her brain, which overruled her mind with an immense amount of tyranny, was trying to make sense of the situation.

Sure, it had been a year on this day that she was officially given the rank of LCMR, but it still felt like just hours ago she had been given the position. She was still reeling over the fact!

But, only a few hours ago, Captain David Anderson had informed her that he wanted her on a shakedown run for the new SSV Normandy. The turian Spectre, Nihlus Kryik, was also supposed to be present. And to add the metaphorical cherry on top, the human candidate for a Spectre position, Commander John Shepard, was also supposed to be there. Anderson hadn't gone into complete detail about the two, as it was common knowledge who they both were. Nihlus was simply known due to his Spectre status. But Shepard had been taught as a living legend in the N7 program (before Eliana dropped out).

Everyone had been taught at some point in their lives about John Shepard. He was a man who had been one of the few survivors of a brutal attack on Mindoir, a border colony in the Attican Traverse. Apparently he had been sixteen when his parents and sister had been slaughtered by batarian slave traders. The details were always apparently "too awful" to go into detail. Then he was praised for his ability to become some "war hero". His squad had literally been outnumbered nearly ten to one on Elysium, every member having at least ten batarian slavers focused on them. Shepard had taken charge and risked his life for his squad, somehow making it out alive. He had been awarded praise and medals for his duty and valor.

And due to this, plus his N7 training, he was ranked higher than Eliana.

Eliana had never been one for envy, it simply wasn't a logical choice for her. But due to her inability to finish the grueling N7 program, and her inability to take charge of most situations in her youth, she had paid dearly. All she had wanted was to rise in rankings just enough to matter. That's all she ever wanted. She had never mattered when she lived at home, not to anyone but her parents at least. She wanted to make a difference and to do that, you needed to matter.

She had risked her life for her CO ten years ago. She had saved most of her fellow crew mates ten years ago. She had gone through the worst of emotional turmoil one could conceive ten years ago. She had been some nobody, who's parents coddled her endlessly, simply because they were paranoid. She had risen from someone who would never matter, to someone who slightly mattered in a matter of eleven years. Yet, it still seemed like it wasn't enough.

She had never been given the chance like Commander John Shepard to prove she mattered.

* * *

 ** _Yay or nay? Wanted to write a good OC x Male!Shep for a long time, after realizing I didn't like Serena. So this interesting enough? Meh, still gonna write it._**

 ** _Love,_**

 ** _P_**


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or its characters and races, as they belong to Bioware. I simply own my OCs.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Eliana looked down at her light, Alliance-grade armor, suddenly feeling very small. The material was white and blue, the middle complete with a zipper in the middle of a wide, blue strip. The gauntlets and shoulder guards were silver and white respectively, a small gleam coming from them if she stood in the light at some angles. A black section sat on the middle of her abdomen, serving as extra protection. Its shape and look had been made to mimic abdominal muscle structure. She wore a thick, silver metal belt that clasped in the middle with a circle hook. It held her M5 Phalanx and a few trinkets that only someone who loved technology could appreciate. Her legs were white on the inside, not really protected like the outside. The outsides of her legs were covered by white thigh and shin guards, just enough coverage but not too heavy. Her boots clasped onto her shin guards and were white with a blue and black trim on the bottom.

Overall, she felt out of her element…totally.

She used to have personal armor, a set that covered all vulnerable areas. But the Alliance wanted to make sure she was sporting Alliance colors. Eliana gave a huff in her head. I'm more than just sporting it, I'm practically one of those damn flashing signs, she thought in distaste to herself.

Deciding now was not the logical time to pout about her "new" armor, Eliana straightened her back and awaited Captain David Anderson on the deck of the docking bay. Her chocolate brown eyes would dart occasionally to the small, yet strangely massive SSV Normandy, which hovered in place calmly. Compared to other ships, it was not as grand or massive. But it was a stealth ship and it needed small size. Compared to Eliana though, it was a big ship. Bigger than any ship she had ever served on.

Running a hand through her aquamarine green and chocolate brown hair, she sighed due to nerves. She had never expected being signed onto the SSV Normandy, just as she had never expected to meet Commander John Shepard nor Spectre Nihlus Kryik. They were both unexpected surprises that Eliana still wasn't sure if they would be pleasant or not.

Eliana's back was ramrod straight as she waited, the nerves still nibbling at the non-logical side of her brain to freak out. But her mind was overrule by logic, nothing could attack her emotional side and get through. Well, unless you held a gun to her CO's head and then she tried to kill you and couldn't do it till she watched the brain matter explode from the new hole in your head. Yeah, that had definitely been the only thing that screwed her up mentally. First kill and everything does that to some people.

"Where is he?" Eliana muttered under her breath, looking down and opening up her orange omni-tool on her left arm. The time read: 0700. It was the time Anderson had told her to be there at the docking bay, dock #64. Eliana looked around and found she was in the right place at the right time. Perhaps he's the one who is running late? she thought logically, a small part of her hoping she was just standing by the wrong SSV Normandy and the real one was actually gone by now, not needing her help. But it was childish to think that way and Eliana immediately expelled those thoughts from her mind.

She searched the docking bay, and finally sighed when she still caught no sight of Anderson. Looking down, she caught sight of her reflection in the shiny flooring. Her hair had been cut close to her scalp on the sides and showed her natural brown hair. The top was aquamarine green though, and covered a thick strip of hair that was longer and raised above the rest of her hair. It was like a smoother and more feminine version of a fauxhawk. Her eyes were chocolate brown and were accompanied by thick, dark, eyebrows. She had a somewhat square face, but had softer edges to it than a man would. Her nose was pretty much straight, a slight slope near the end was all that one could pick out. Her skin was fair and normal compared to her medium-sized lips. Overall, she looked like any other plain Jane out there. Maybe except for the hair coloring or style.

She immediately ceased her observations and straightened everything about her posture, once she heard a familiar voice exiting the elevator.

"And I decided to enlist the help of a technician, just in case," Anderson's voice carried through the docking bay.

Eliana looked forward and saw the older man with two people flanking him. The man to his right was obviously Shepard, as he was not a turian. He had slightly tanned skin, maybe it was the lighting. His face was one of experience, even if he was only her age (or everyone assumed so, Eliana wasn't buying it). His hair was extremely, closely shaved, only a somewhat dark grey shadow of hair appearing. A little indent was located on the side of his hairline, probably a scar. His blue eyes were hard as they looked at Anderson, probably contemplating something. He wore the signature black and red N7 armor, something that made Eliana quietly glare. She should be wearing that as well. She should be a commander. _No! Stop these childish greeds_ , her logic snapped and caused her mind to blank.

She took in the Spectre next. His plating was a dark brown coloring with a little red mixed in. White tribal paint marked his face plates. He wore dark armor with some red to it, all protecting his massive stature. Eliana had learnt that most turians stood at least above 6'3. That height compared to her 5'7 height was a bit intimidating. And seeing as when the trio neared, and Nihlus was obviously taller than 6'3, Eliana had to use every logical idea in her to settle down.

"This here, is-"

"Lieutenant Commander Eliana Sanders, Alliance Navy," Eliana spoke out of habit. She was so used to introducing herself that it just came naturally as a force of habit.

Shepard cocked an eyebrow as he looked at her dead on, his face betraying nothing. He looked her up and down, seemingly assessing her. She didn't back down under his scrutinizing gaze, in fact she simply stood there, her usual stoic countenance portrayed upon her features.

"Lieutenant Commander John Shepard," he said, a small smile on his face now. He stuck out his hand and Eliana had to stop herself from gawking at the man in front of her and focus on maintaining a strong grip as she shook hands with him. He was definitely not what she was expecting so far. She definitely was not expecting him to be the same rank as her, even if he was to be XO on the SSV Normandy. She had thought he was a rank higher than her. "Pleasure to meet you," he said, retracting his hand.

"And you as well," Eliana said, her voice not wavering in the slightest.

She then turned to the turian and copied his actions of greeting, simply bowing her head to the alien. "Spectre Nihlus Kryik," he said, his voice coming in deep in Eliana's translator. They exchanged simple pleasantries before they all three turned back to Anderson.

"Well, now that pleasantries have been dealt with," Anderson started, a small smile on his face, "I'm sure we can head onto the Normandy. Get a feel for it before we head for Eden Prime."

Eliana decided to hand behind the group and watch as the trio conversed whilst walking towards the Normandy. Her head cocked to the side slightly and a narrowed look entered her eyes. Eden Prime? Why would they be going to Eden Prime of all places for a shakedown run? And if this was a normal shakedown run, why would a Spectre, Captain, and two LCDRs be necessary? Eliana had heard rumors that Shepard would be considered as the first human Spectre, but she hadn't been sure. Now, she was suspicious of what this supposed "shake down" run was going to be.

Shaking her head, she quickly caught up to the trio and entered the decontamination chamber, listening to the automated voice speak out. She watched as a line of light scanned over all four of them and Eliana couldn't help but shiver at the slight coldness that suddenly entered the room.

"Cabin pressure stabilizing. Welcome aboard," the voice spoke, not even bothering with four names.

Eliana watched as the door opened, big, bold, white letters spelling out "SR-1" on the door itself. She decided to put that in her memory bank for later perhaps. Also, ideas of getting this damn decontamination process to progress quicker were already filling her mind. She was usually a very impatient woman.

She walked out of the chamber and followed the trio in front of her.

"Welcome aboard the SSV Normandy," David said, stepping aside to show the state-of-the-art design of the ship. Everything about it was impressive. High, arched ceilings were above what Eliana thought to be the main area of the CIC. The cockpit was to their left, a hallway leading right from there to the main area. A large galaxy map sat, suspended in the air, untouched by anyone so far. Alliance members sat in reclined chairs, typing furiously into the orange screens for the ship. Some members stood, hunched over little keyboards, their eyes determined. The technology was by far the most impressive thing Eliana had seen on a starship. It made her giddy with excitement. She literally wanted to push someone out of a chair and take over.

But she kept her face stoic and calm as almost everyone turned to salute Captain Anderson. "At ease, everyone," David said, a smile on his features. Eliana knew how easy it was to make David give a smile, no matter how small. "These people here will be serving on this ship for her shakedown run. This is the turian Spectre, Nihlus Kryik," he said, motioning towards the tall turian who only nodded his head in acknowledgement. Anderson then motioned towards Shepard, "This here is Lieutenant Commander John Shepard, he will be serving as the new XO for the Normandy." Shepard simply stood, his face betraying nothing as he took everyone in and vice versa. Eliana then looked over at Anderson, who now motioned towards her. "And this is the Normandy's new head technician, Eliana Sanders."

That was a damn low blow. Demoted in seconds of arriving on the ship.

Eliana showed nothing, even if she wanted to throttle Anderson here and now for what he just did. She was a goddamn LCDR for god's sake! She wasn't just any "head technician"! David would be getting his ear chewed off in a matter of minutes though. She hasn't worked her ass off for years to become a simple head technician. That was where she started and when she started…it was not a time she wished to be back in. But she would discuss that with Anderson later, when everyone was settled.

"I expect them all to be treated with respect, am I understood?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" the sound of people chorusing made Eliana sick with unease. This wasn't something she was fond of. Crowds so easily bending to the will of their superiors. Nobody questioned anything anymore, and it made her stomach flip grotesquely.

"Alright, everyone as you were," Anderson commanded, causing Eliana to watch as everyone literally went back to the exact same position they were. It was so…choreographed. So…fake. She simply shook it off and watched as Anderson motioned for the trio to pay attention to them.

"Nihlus, you've already met Lieutenant Alenko and our pilot, so you can do whatever you need to do to get prepped. Shepard and Sanders, follow me," Anderson said, starting to walk towards the cockpit.

This caused Eliana to cock an eyebrow in curiosity and walk a little quicker. Alenko sounded familiar but Eliana didn't know where she could place it. She had run into so many people during her service in the Alliance Navy, that all the faces merged together at times along with the names.

"Ya know, Kaiden, I hope this new tech is hot. Ain't got nothing to admire up here other than this same damn screen," Eliana heard, a smirk coming to her lips. She usually didn't say anything to compliments, but maybe if she was given one here, she would make the most of it. She was always uncomfortable when people said nice things to her, so now she would turn the game around.

"With your luck Joker, the tech will be some old guy," the guy, presumably Kaiden, gave a jab to the pilot. Eliana couldn't see anything except for the back of a head and the backs of chairs.

"Wouldn't be surprised, Anderson seems to be pissed with me all the time. So an ugly tech might be payback."

Anderson then decided to step in, clearing his throat to interrupt the conversation.

"Ah shit," Eliana could hear the pilot, Joker, say under his breath before turning slightly in his chair to face them. The man, Kaiden Alenko, turning as well. "Well hello Cap," Joker said, as if he was the most innocent man in the world, "wonderful weather we're having."

Eliana had to suppress a laugh at the man's antics. He was pretty fun as far as Eliana had heard. She also couldn't wait to work with him. He was the best pilot in the Alliance if he he was piloting the SSV Normandy. Respect was already flourishing in Eliana for this man.

Anderson simply gave a sigh, and shook his head for a second, whilst Kaiden laughed lightly. "Joker…just never mind. This is Lieutenant Commander Shepard and the new head technician, Eliana Sanders. Sanders, Shepard, this is Jeff Moreau and Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko."

"But ya can call me Joker," the pilot piped in, a smile on his features. "And may I say, I am extremely pleased to meet ya Miss Sanders and am excited to start working with ya. If ya need anything, just call my name."

Eliana smirked and crossed her arms. She could pull this off if she thought carefully enough. She tried to sound as serious as possible and put a worried look on her face. "Well that's good. If you're good with relationships I need help with my girlfriend ya see. She wants to keep being a stripper but I don't want that stupid asari stereotype following her."

It worked. Oh it worked.

Joker just looked at her, mouth agape, his eyes wide. Kaiden was simply stuffing his fist in his mouth to keep from laughing. Shepard simply stood straight, a little quirk of his lips giving away his amusement. And Anderson…well he just gave her a look of approval and amusement.

"Well, uh…" Joker started, facing towards his screen once again, "that was unexpected."

Eliana simply smiled and gave a nod towards Kaiden, who just gave her a thumbs up and a smirk before turning back to his screen.

Eliana never had the body that most asari or human women craved, that perfect hourglass figure. She had been an athlete or workout enthusiast for her whole life. It caused her to be more muscle than anything, have a lean but curveless stomach. She had muscular thighs that protruded from her straight line of a body, so perhaps that added some curve, but that was it. Her chest wasn't that big due to working out and she was fine with that. Extra baggage was dead weight that she didn't want to carry. Did she have an attractive body though? Meh, depended on the person really. Plus, Eliana didn't care. She never focused on other's opinions about her physical features. She never focused on relationships either. Of course a fling or two had occurred during her time in the Navy, nothing major would appear. Fraternization was a big no-no.

Eliana then looked to her right and saw an extra computer and chair. Giddiness suddenly exploded in her belly when she looked at Anderson. "Is that my station?" she said, trying to stay calm.

"You'd be cor-"

Anderson didn't get to finish before Eliana tried to calmly stride over, ultimately failing due to excitement.

She dropped down into the seat and began touching the screen at random intervals, typing a few things here and there, unaware of the curious looks she was receiving.

"Honestly, this technology is state-of-the-art, but Jesus, this shit seems old," she said, not caring who heard her. "Like seriously, we're gonna be using the Lincoln Starter system? Hell no, not on my watch. I won't stand for this."

"Hey! What's wrong with Lincoln Starter?" Joker asked defensively, causing Eliana to roll her eyes and turn towards him.

"Please, you must be uneducated if you think LS is good. It is probably one of the smoother running implants to ship systems, but it's the slowest and probably most uncivilized version," she said, a 'duh' tone to her voice. When she started talking technology, she could become either condescending or extremely invested in the conversation. Either way, if one didn't know their tech and tried to tango with Eliana, it could get ugly.

"Every ship I've been on has used the LS system and it has worked fine!"

"It was implemented into most of the Alliance Navy's ships about two years ago," Eliana dead panned, her voice unimpressed now by the supposedly best pilot in the whole fleet. "That would put you on only four ships at most, one at the least."

Joker suddenly gaped at her once again and huffed in frustration, unable to do anything but turn back into his chair.

Eliana sniggered but then caught sight of Shepard and Anderson staring at her with amused glances. She cocked an eyebrow, "I thought my rare display of excitement to get into this chair and away from you two was your queue to leave and go do whatever you two needed to do before we start our jump to Eden Prime."

Shepard raised an eyebrow to this sassy remark and looked over at Anderson, who only sighed and shook his head. Her chocolate eyes trailed them as they turned and left, probably to go get Shepard situated with a locker or something like that. Oh, she needed to add that to her 'Things-To-Do' list. Grab a good locker. Or she could store her stuff under her chair and just sleep here. That sounded like a better idea.

"Good luck with that one, Shepard," she heard Anderson say in the distance, probably nearing the main area of the CIC by now.

Eliana just rolled her eyes and cracked her knuckles.

"Now lets see what we can do about this systems upgrade."

* * *

 _Yay or nay? Eden Prime will be separated into two parts most likely. Should I do one part Eliana and another part Shepard or Kaiden, or maybe even Ashley? I don't know yet._

 _Tell me your thoughts so far. On Eliana's constantly changing personality (which will be explained soon enough). Her impression on the crew so far._

 _I imagined Eliana as looking like the singer Halsey in her music vid for New Americana._

 _Love ya lots,_

 _P_


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything Bioware owns. If I did, I'd have change the Mass Effect 3 ending, trust me. I sadly only own my OC's.**

 **I did use the dialogue from the game and added some of my own, so yeah.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

Shepard sighed and ran a hand over his face, a sudden wave of fatigue weighing down heavily upon him. Ever since he had joined the Systems Alliance, he had always felt tired. The reason? He had no idea. It had just started without reason and he didn't like it. So much responsibility. So many rules. So much death. So many sleepless nights filled with terrors from thirteen years ago. The attack on Mindoir still haunted him nightly. The screams of his parents, of his little sister. They're still too vivid for John. Too vivid for anyone.

He gave a yawn and stretched lightly, feeling the satisfying pop of the vertebrae of his spine. He pulled his arms above his head as he did so and couldn't help but feel slightly more relaxed than he had ever felt in a while. It was just a shakedown run. No fighting, no near-death calls. Nothing that would endanger his new crew. That's what Anderson had told him at least. And while Shepard had known Anderson ever since he signed on to the N7 program, he still couldn't help but feel the slightest bit like he was being lied to.

Relaxation was always something that came before a good fight. Sex was one form of relaxation that Shepard had excelled at before his squad got hit on Elysium. But after that, John hasn't been with anyone. Or at least he didn't think so. Maybe a drunk night on Omega or even on the Citadel in Purgatory might have elicited a calm night. But there was always the calm before the storm, and Shepard felt calm right now. It unsettled him greatly. Almost as much as the Spectre and new head technician.

Nihlus was…a hardass to say the least. He came off as cordial, but Shepard had spent an entirely too long and tense elevator ride with the turian to not be thrown off by him. He was terse at best and seemed to be a bit too…focused on this simple mission. Whilst being focused was good, this was just a shakedown mission. It wasn't supposed to be something major. But Nihlus treated it as something to be taken extremely seriously. And that just threw Shepard for a loop.

Then there was the new head tech, Eliana Sanders, or something along those lines. The only thing he remembered about her was her hair and her sassy comments. Oh, and the fact that she could switch from serious to elated in a matter of seconds. And if Nihlus' intense seriousness threw him for a loop, Eliana's mood changes made him run a 720. Of course, if Anderson hand-selected her, she had to be the best of the best. But why, if she was so good at tech, not normally a tech operator? Why was she a Lieutenant Commander, like himself? She didn't wear N7. She wore simple Alliance issue, light armor (like an ad sign in Shepard's opinion). She seemed like any other human in the Systems Alliance Navy. So why was she the same status as him if she seemed to be so…insignificant (in the nicest way possible) compared to him?

Maybe that was a shallow way of thinking. No, it was shallow. It made Shepard's gut twist in guilt and made him want to go apologize to the technician. She was obviously well deserving of her rank. Well, that's what Anderson said and so far, Shepard wasn't sure if he could trust his captain. Perhaps, he could test the waters. See where she stood after everything, get a feel for her ideas and test if she was good enough for this. See if she was good enough to keep around.

Shepard had been raised on the ideals of having to prove yourself. He had made it his life motto once his family was killed. He wanted to make a difference and he thought the Systems Alliance N7 program would do just that. He hadn't understood his deep hatred for batarians then, it had been simple, blind rage. Bloodlust had clouded his judgement and had given him the whole 'xenophobe' identity throughout his time in N7. He hadn't been one. He hated ones who were like that. He simply hated batarians, still did in fact. But humans were close-minded and automatically assumed things.

But, besides his assumed xenophobia, Shepard had had a hard time in the N7 program. It was nothing short of excruciating and tedious. His time in that damned program had given him painfully sleepless nights. Every roll in his cot would cause immense amounts of pain to wash over him. Every breath he took after a long and particularly taxing session, would be knocked right out of him along with his ass on the ground. The N7 program had been hell for Shepard. But he had to prove himself. He hadn't gone through that shit to not graduate and prove to be a great lieutenant commander. His goal had been somewhat reached with that recognition and he had only gotten a step closer by being recognized for his efforts on Elysium.

He had proved himself, but only at the cost of his mental well-being. He was sane, yes, but he honestly felt those small moments of intense anger and hate. Those moments where he lost himself to his emotions and made bad decisions. But he had worked and done his best to remain good. Done his best to be the man he could've mentally been had he not been through traumatic experiences . But he knew he needed those experiences. They were what made him grow. What made him, him.

He just had to now answer the questions: What made Eliana a LCDR?, How had she proven her worth?, and How would she prove her worth to him?

They seemed simple enough questions, but Shepard realized he may have a harder time answering those questions. He had little to nothing on her, as Anderson probably wouldn't open up her history to him. Shepard would have to get to know her should she be permanently stationed on the SSV Normandy. He knew he'd have to get to know his whole crew, but he would need to make sure that the main people on this Alliance cruiser would be the ones he knew like the back of his hand. It's just how things went in the Systems Alliance.

If you didn't know your crew inside and out, how could anyone be who they said they were?

* * *

Shepard was walking towards the cockpit with a purpose. His armor slightly clanked against the metal flooring of the SSV Normandy. His blue eyes were trained on the front of the ship with an intense focus that only war veterans could hold. His body seemed taut and ready to snap at the slightest movement that could set him on edge.

There was, though, an air of confidence that only he, Lieutenant Commander John Shepard, could hold sway over his body. No one else had the ability to carry themselves like they were to be worshipped. It was what made Shepard so likable in a sense by his inferiors and superiors. People naturally followed the most powerful and charismatic person. And right now, Shepard was the that kind of person.

Over the PA system on the Normandy, Shepard heard Joker's voice speaking calmly, "We are connected. Calculating transit mass and destination."

Shepard continued forward, nodding once towards Pressly, who was busting himself over his screen. He knew the older man was the acting XO of the SSV Normandy, but Shepard could feel a sense of inferiority emanating from him. Not in the condescending way, but the way you feel when in front of a legend. That only inflated Shepard's ego…maybe. It mainly made him feel uncomfortable.

"The relay is hot. Acquiring approach vector," Joker's voice once again announced over the PA system. By now, Shepard had walked up the steps and was striding carefully across the walk-way, taking a look at the crew members busying themselves with their omni-tools or computers. It made Shepard feel slightly useless as he approached the cockpit.

"All systems ready for transit."

Shepard was taking his final, approaching steps to the cockpit, almost knocking someone down but barely avoiding that incident in the process. He corrected his slightly tilted posture and continued walking up, catching Nihlus' intimidating stature in his sight. To say the turian didn't make him uneasy would be like saying asari were only females. It wasn't the truth. Shepard knew that too well.

He stood next to the imposing Spectre and locked his hands behind his back, his back straight and proper. His blue eyes didn't even dart over to the turian as Joker spoke once again, but this time, it didn't sound mechanical like when it was projected over the public announcer. "The board is green. Approach run has begun," he said, Shepard watching space through the visor shield of the ship, or the windshield.

He watched as the gargantuan mass relay came into view, blue mass effect fields crackling sporadically in the ever-turning circles that held them melded together and kept the energy from not blasting into space. The Normandy sped through the blackness that was speckled with white stars towards the giant machine. The enormity of the machine made Shepard feel very, very insignificant. There had been life before humans, turians, asari, everyone, that had made those machines. And to make a large machine, Shepard knew you had to be large in size.

"Hitting relay in 3… 2… 1…"

Shepard watched as a tentacle of blue energy reached out and fully embraced the Normandy's body. He watched as it slightly pulled them closer to the machine. He felt the bracing of every soul on the ship. Not a lot of people liked jumping in the relay system, but Shepard was one of the few who loved it. He loved the ability to use something someone had obviously left for them. He loved the ability to see new systems and new planets. He loved seeing space and the relays allowed him to do that. For that he was grateful for the massive mass relays.

His body jolted forward slightly as the machine threw them into space, not caring for any potential damage they might earn from the powerful boost. He threw a hand out to his left and found a chair, using it for support. Nihlus was somehow still standing stock-still.

Realizing that he was fine and the Normandy was cruising stably now, Shepard stood up hesitantly. But he automatically corrected his position due to force of habit.

"Thrusters… check. Navigation… check. Internal emissions sink engaged. All systems online. Drift… just under fifteen-hundred K," Joker said, a smug tone to his voice. Shepard couldn't help but be impressed by the pilot's abilities so far. Most would still be terrified of going in a mass relay. Hell, most would be crying if they had to fly a new cruiser into one! But Joker just sat there, almost giddy with excitement.

Shepard was about to speak, but Nihlus beat him to it. "Fifteen-hundred is good." he said, his multiple vocal levels making his voice sound deeper. "Your captain will be _pleased_ ," he said. There was a hint of sarcasm in his words, but Shepard couldn't tell due to the turian's vocals.

That was when Nihlus took his leave, most likely to find Anderson. Shepard couldn't care less though. Nihlus rubbed him the wrong way and the sooner he was out of his presence, the better.

"I hate that guy," Shepard heard Joker say, disdain lacing each word. This made Shepard think. Were the pilot and co-pilot aware he was there, or did they always openly speak about their superiors? Either way, this made him like them even more. People are always too scared to talk and it made Shepard extremely frustrated. Nobody would allow him to vent on their superiors. So he was stuck, venting to himself in his sleeping pod all the damn time. It annoyed him and made him feel… alone. So now, maybe he could have a few partners-in-crime.

It was then that the co-pilot, Lt. Kaiden Alenko, spoke. "Nihlus gave you a compliment… so, you hate him?"

His words reminded Shepard of the few people in the Alliance who still held onto the rules. This made him cock his head a little but not much, as he should've expected it. The lieutenant practically screamed, "Alliance!" and Shepard wasn't sure if he liked it. It reminded him of…

"Are you surprised, Kaiden? Joker hates everything that isn't his chair or ship."

Think of the devil, and it will come.

Shepard turned to his right to see the blue-dipped ends of Eliana's hair, her body leaning back into the chair. Her "station" was situated in the right corner, something that Anderson must have had specially for her, as the left side had two chairs on the side. They weren't even used yet, just there for when emergency protocol went into place.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom? That's good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" Joker said vibrantly. Shepard had to keep his commander persona up, but the corner of his lips did tilt up at the pilot's slight vent.

"Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"You're paranoid."

"You're paranoid."

The two responses came from Eliana and Kaiden. They turned to look at each other and then shared a scheming smile. Shepard noticed this and realized that the two of them together might make a fairly strong team, should they be up for ground missions and they pass the shakedown run.

Then Kaiden turned back towards Joker and spoke, "The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

Shepard wanted to groan. Maybe Kaiden would fit well with Eliana, but not Shepard. Already, Shepard was annoyed with the amount of conviction the Lt.'s voice held when speaking about the Council. Shepard didn't have anything against the Council except for that he had heard rumors that they were fairly racist towards the human-race.

"Yeah, that is the official story. But only an idiot believes the official story," Joker said, earning a hum of agreement from Eliana.

"Honestly, Kaiden, why the hell would the Council send one of their own, a t _urian Spectre_ , onto a _human_ cruiser that is supposedly going on a in-and-out shakedown run. That sounds like more than someone keeping an eye on the _investment._ "

Shepard felt a swell of respect go out to Eliana and Joker for their ability to only trust when given enough proof. Kaiden… not so much yet. Maybe he was being harsh on the LT. but so far, he wasn't the best in Shepard's eyes.

Shepard then decided it was his time to speak. "Can't say I disagree," he said, his voice filling the cockpit.

"See, Kaiden, Shepard agrees with me."

"Hello? What about me!" Eliana's voice asked, her voice holding a form of amusement and faux hurt. "I agreed with you too!"

Joker then looked over his shoulder slowly, grimacing a bit. "Oh yeah, well… I guess you agreed with me too," he said, a twinkle of mischief in his eyes.

Suddenly, their fun was stopped when Anderson's voice commed in to Joker's terminal.

"Joker! Status report."

"Just cleared the mass relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

Shepard noticed the change in his voice and even his position in the chair. He seemed to be sitting up straight, a small grimace on his face. His voice was slightly higher and held a tone to it that all soldiers had: respect.

"Good," Anderson said over the comm link. "Find us a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports linked back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain." Joker said, his soldier voice still in play as he leaned forward and began typing onto his terminal's computer. His voice then changed suddenly.

"Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is headed your way."

Shepard couldn't help but feel slightly out of it. A Flight Lt. just spoke to his captain in a joking way? This man could potentially be Shepard's favorite pilot ever.

"He's already here, _Lieutenant_."

Shepard heard an escaped laugh from his right and saw Eliana trying her best to stop the laughter from continuing to exit her body.

"Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing," Anderson said, his tone holding a little bit of annoyance.

The comm line pinged out and Joker asked, "You get that, Commander?"

Shepard knew he had to go, but he honestly didn't want to. He'd have to be in the same room as Nihlus for more than five minutes and that already turned him off to the idea of the debriefing. He just wanted to stay in the cockpit and joke around with the people here. At least here, they hadn't treated him differently yet.

Yes, there was something nice about being treated like you were something so great. But once you've tasted what it's like to be treated like anyone else, there was a kind of illusiveness that you just didn't want to leave. And right now, that was how Shepard was feeling.

But he had to go.

"I'm on my way," he said, turning to leave. But his eyes stayed trained on the cockpit long enough that he could hear Joker and Kaiden joking around once again.

And he could hear Eliana receiving orders from Anderson to listen in on the debriefing.

* * *

 _Yup! The third chapter is finished finally. Took me a week to get it right. Decided to split things in two here and have Eden Prime be its own chapter + the debriefing._

 _Last chapter, was not my best, and that's all my fault. I was a bit tipsy for my friend's 23rd birthday and for a college graduation party. So I was not in the best mindset whilst writing last chapter._

 _Anyways! How do y'all think I did with Shepard? Is he okay so far? Have I kinda shown enough of what he's like? Do y'all want more Shepard POV?_

 _Leave a review or don't! I just appreciate people reading!_

 _Love,_

 _P❤_


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